New Conservative Party (UK)

The New Conservative Party was a minor nationalist political party in the United Kingdom.

The party was founded in March 1960 by John E. Dayton,[1] a civil engineer living in Dorking, Surrey. He described it as a party "neither of the extreme right nor left",[2] although The History of British Political Parties describes its main policy as British nationalism.[3]

Dayton stood as a candidate first in the Harrow West by-election, 1960,[4] at which he took 4.7% of the vote - which proved to be the party's highest ever share.[3] Following this, he launched a party newsletter, Watching Brief, and then in November stood in the Bolton East by-election.[3] He took only 1.2% of the vote in Bolton East,[5] while fellow party member C. F. H. Gilliard fared even worse in the Mid Bedfordshire by-election, 1960, with 0.6% of the votes cast.[6]

In May 1961, the party was renamed as the True Conservative Party, but this change did not revive its fortunes, and it was dissolved in the autumn.[1] However, Dayton founded the Patriotic Front for Political Action and stood in the Oswestry by-election, 1961, at which he took a 2.8% share.[3] He soon ceased publishing Watching Brief, and dissolved the new party in February 1962, joining the Labour Party,[3] and standing for the party in Westmorland at the 1966 UK general election.[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 F. W. S. Craig, Minor Parties at British Parliamentary Elections
  2. ↑ "From our archives", Bolton News, 15 September 2010
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 David Boothroyd, The History of British Political Parties, p.209
  4. ↑ "From our archives", Bolton News, 15 September 2010
  5. ↑ British Parliamentary by-elections: Bolton East 1960
  6. ↑ Dod's Parliamentary Companion (1967), p.481
  7. ↑ "UK General Election results March 1966", Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources